I Wish I Had Casey's Girl
by sonofwolf
Summary: Donnie's got a crush...too bad she's taken!


I…guess I've decided there's not much I can do about it.

I can't say it's been this way since we met her. I mean, to be honest, she was sitting in sewer sludge, with mossy slime in her hair and well, everywhere. We all knew we should have just walked away. I think we were going to, but leave it to Mikey to step out of the shadows and make first contact with the human world.

"Hey! How you doin'?"

This prompted her to faint. Immediately.

It wasn't until shortly after that we learned about her history with Dr. Stockman. I knew who he was…I mean, c'mon! The guy was…er…is…well, a genius. Now he's more psychotic than genius. But anyway. You had to be pretty up and up with engineering to work with Dr. Stockman! I didn't say anything right then. She was busy taking in four giant turtles and one giant rat.

I didn't think it was the right time to start bombarding her with scientific questions.

Then Raph wanted to go after Dr. Stockman. She said there were too many technological barriers…

And once again, Mikey stepped forward, this time to embarrass me!

"Tsk! Bring it on! Allow me to introduce our very own secret weapon: the techno turtle himself…DON A TELLO! Take a bow Don!" He pushed me forward, turning the spotlight on me.

I don't know how well it showed, but I must've turned bright red then. Or at least, I felt it. I did my best not to meet her eyes, but I knew she was looking at me. Please look away, please look away, I'm not that great, he's just joking…

After that, we took out Stockman for the first of many times. Sometimes I wish he had turned that brainpower around, to benefit people, but all he cared about was his own selfish desires. I never understood it. But that adventure was a technogeek's dream come true; a cute red haired girl, gadgets and gizmos galore, and Dr. Stockman's very own laboratory!

Ok, well, it would be a dream come true if they were prepared to fight for their lives against giant lasers and man eating robots, and one seriously wacked out scientist.

Which we did.

With both of us at the helm of Dr. Stockman's mouser manufacturing lab, her right by my side, hacking the system, code flying from our fingertips…!

She did manage to stop them. I told her she was amazing. Because she was.

Of course…practicality won that day. Even though hacking didn't win (overloading the system did), it was still…awesome.

Because I got to carry her out of the laboratory. I know she was afraid because of the mousers exploding, but that was the last thing on my mind. I ran after my brothers on instinct, because my mind was somewhere else. Like...how her breath caught in her throat, stifling a cry of surprise, when we went flying out of the control center. How she clung to me tighter. I suppose a girl from New York doesn't go taking twenty foot leaps of faith every day.

She even let me hold her hand as we ran out of there.

Afterwards, it was obvious what was just a small rescue would effect her life permanently. With Dr. Stockman gone, she had no job.

I was the first to speak. "We'll help you get back on your feet."

I wonder if my brothers were surprised. I never spoke first. But I had to. It just came out! And I meant it too. I suppose it would have been more truthful if I had said 'I' instead of 'We'.

But they didn't complain. Neither did Master Splinter.

She seemed happy that we offered, and also to be our exclusive friend.

Things were going great. For a while, anyway.

She helped me get some great stuff for the lair, and for a while when she came down, we'd have our own private 'technogeek' time, as my brothers called it. Sure, she hung out equally with all of us; sneaking us into movies, letting us come to her apartment for really good home cooked food, playing video games with Mikey…

But at some point in the night, we'd end up at the computers. Every single time. Or up in the warehouse, fiddling with the Battle Shell. It was a lot easier to focus on boring old automobile mechanics when you had someone to talk to about quantum physics…or chemistry…or space exploration…or evolution…or archaeology…

Did I mention she owned an antique store? And not one of those silly thrift shops that disguises themselves as antique stores. But real antiques! Items you could only find in her shop…or buried under a dig site. You could spend hours in there, looking upon treasures that linked to someone or something in the past, part of a society long gone but forever leaving its mark on our world!

But there was nothing like the sight of her standing there in old greasy overalls, with her hair a mess and sweat and motor oil mixing on her skin, laughing over something silly like people thinking they could time travel to the past to warn themselves about something or other, or to prevent a disaster from happening. And then we'd go on about if someone did change something, the possible outcomes, what the world would be like…

My brothers teased me about all the time we spent together. Thankfully they never teased me in front of her. I'd be so embarrassed…I probably would have stopped hanging out with her, or try to disguise my efforts by not calling her over so much…or something.

They praise me with doing a lot of things to ease their way of life, and to help us in battle. While I did do a lot, now that I think of it…she helped a lot more than they could have ever imagined.

Even when Casey showed up.

I really didn't think Casey could be a threat to my friendship with her. To be honest…he's a little thick skulled. One too many hits with a hockey puck. But…she began to hang out with him more often, despite all the times he infuriated her, and all the times he was made to look stupid in front of her. I suppose it was only natural for…a human woman to want to hang out with a human male.

I mean, he could go to places I couldn't, simply because of how I looked. And she had this total wild streak in her I didn't see! Like that time we got stuck in that bug world, she went all Jane of the Jungle on us! It was kinda cute, but kinda frightening at the same time. I suppose I should have seen it coming. Instead of making her dislike him with his, well, barbaric tactics and idiotic mannerisms, she found excitement in that.

I didn't say anything as they grew closer together. When we retreated to Casey's cabin the second time, it was a little more than official. They were spotted kissing on the porch, and well…I don't know. I stopped paying attention after that.

Well, that's a lie. I did pay attention once. After Dr. Stockman and Agent Bishop released that mutant outbreak into the city, I got nabbed in the leg by this…roach man thing. I didn't think much of it, but the scientist in me protested when I caught that funny cold, and when I started feeling icky. I didn't want to admit that something could be wrong…because I didn't know what it could be.

I didn't want my family to worry about me anyway.

My brothers dropped me off at her apartment, right when they were about to leave on a date. Casey looked…civilized. She…did not.

She stood there in a leather jacket, torn jeans, and a hankie on her head. Either it was the sickness getting to me, or I really did think she looked cute like that.

Now, don't get me wrong. I feel terrible for what happened next. I mutated into this giant turtle monster! I nearly hurt my friends, and I nearly bit off Mikey's leg! And…although I tell them I don't remember anything, I do remember a few things. Like…Casey screaming like a little girl. Well, not quite like a little girl. But it was a yelp. A little one. Caused by me!

I mean…I feel so bad for even taking a little pleasure in that. But…it happened.

Even just a teensy weensy bit of pleasure.

It wasn't as great as during the Triceraton invasion, when she said that she could kiss me…

I wish she had…

POP!

SNAP!

WHIIRRR!

I blinked. My daydream was broken, and the flash of light rendered me momentarily blinded. My arms flailed a bit, and I heard something clink on my desk as I brushed it with my hand…

I grabbed it as my vision cleared. A full cup of steaming hot coffee, teetering near the edge.

"Vintage polaroid!" Mikey exclaimed next to me. I looked up to see him waving around a small bit of whiteness in his hand. "I got it from April's shop!"

I looked at the archaic machine in his hands, then at Mikey. "That's great Mikey, but could you give a guy more warning before you paralyze them with camera flashes?"

"Hey, you're as much a ninja as I am," he grinned. "You shoulda heard me comin'!"

"I was thinking about something."

Mikey looked at the developing Polaroid and raised a brow. "I'll say, you look completely in La La Land. I didn't think transistors got you that worked up!"

"Transmitters, Mikey, and give me that!"

He showed me the Polaroid, but didn't hand it over. I sat there in my chair, leaning back, with a big sappy smile on my face and my eyes gazing off somewhere. I looked…I looked like…

"Heh, you look like you're in luuuuuuv!" Mikey grinned at the picture. "So…who is she?"

I blushed and reached for the picture. "C'mon, Mikey, seriously," I frowned when he held it out of my reach. "That's embarrassing!"

"I know, perfect blackmail material. Now just tell me who…"

"GRRRRRRR!"

We both looked up at the girlish growl.

And there she was.

Stomping into the lair in a ball of fury.

"Hey April," Mikey greeted. "Uhhh…what's up?"

"That…boneheaded, no good, dimwitted…pea brained…"

"Either she's talkin' 'bout Mikey," Raph said, poking his head from his room. "Or Casey."

"Don't EVEN speak his name!" She balled her fists and bristled with rage.

"Not Mikey then." He poked his head back into his room.

Mikey looked at her, then at the Polaroid, then at me. His grin turned sly as he connected the pieces. "OooooooOOOoooooh!"

"Don't even think about it, Mikey…"

"C'mon Donnie! Now's your chance! Sweep her off her feet! Recite love poems! Oh what light from yonder window breaks…!"

"Michelangelo!" I whined it through gritted teeth as April walked over. "Do not…I am begging you…"

"Sorry guys," she breathed, calming herself. "I didn't mean to bust in here with a bad attitude."

"It's okay, April," I said, smiling.

"It's okay, April," Mikey mocked. I slapped him upside the head. The picture flew out of his grasp and fluttered to the floor.

She picked it up, to my absolute horror.

Just then, the stone elevator eased open, and Casey stepped into the lair. "Hey, Raph? You here? I gotta vent some…" His blue eyes connected with April's angry ones. "You! What are you doin' here?"

"Oh, I can't come see my friends? Or are they just your friends now?!"

"Did I say that? I so didn't say that! Why you always gotta be puttin' words in my mouth?"

"Well, something intelligent has to come out of there sometime!"

"Yeah, well, maybe if you did a little less yappin' and more…uh…not yappin', things would be a bit better!"

All of us soon found our way to the main lair area; Leo and Raph upstairs, Mikey and I downstairs, watching in bewilderment as our two human friends used our home as their personal verbal boxing ring.

"I think we just got stuck in the middle of a lover's spat," Leonardo said.

"Spat? More like smackdown!" Raph quipped.

"I got here first Casey, so just leave! I don't want to see you right now!"

"Hey, maybe I feel the same way. Maybe I don't want to see you right now either! So why don't you go?"

"Fine! I will! Donnie!"

"Good riddance! Raph! Let's go!"

I could only imagine what Raph's response was to that. He didn't need to be told twice, however, and retreated with Casey to the warehouse.

"Dude, this is so perfect," Mikey hissed, motioning to the pissed off April. She stood with her arms folded, shooting scowls at the elevator. He pushed me off the chair and into the main area. "Go get her!"

"Shut up!" I hissed. She didn't seem to hear either of us.

"C'mon, Donnie!" April grabbed my hand….!!!!...and nearly dragged me towards the main entrance. I found myself following her through the sewers, listening to her as she rattled off curses and names at Casey.

Maybe Mikey was right! What if this was the end of April and Casey? No, I could never hope that for my sake, that would be so selfish! But what if…

My eyes found the Polaroid forgotten in April's hand. Maybe if I sneaked up, and reached out, I could grab it before…

"What's this?" She held it up and looked at it, stopping in her trek through the sewers. Her anger was immediately gone and I heard a small giggle leave her.

Such a cute giggle.

"What was going on here?" She held up the picture for me to see and raised a brow.

I blushed. "Uh…nothing, just…daydreaming."

"Uh huh," she looked at the picture, not buying it. "I know this look."

"You…do?" Uh oh…

"Yep. I've seen it on guy's faces hundreds of times," she grinned at me. "You were thinking about a girl!"

Oh…crud…

I couldn't help it. I'm a terrible liar! I looked away, embarrassed. I couldn't even fake off this!

"Ooooh, I knew it!" she looked at the Polaroid again. "So…who is she?" She teased me slightly. Please don't, I begged mentally. I couldn't stand it when she got all playful like that.

"No one…"

"Oh, c'mon Donnie! Don't lie to me! Who am I gonna tell?"

I snatched the Polaroid and looked down at my own blissful expression. I saddened. "She's…sweet. And smart. And pretty too!"

"Sounds like a winner!"

"No," I sighed. I couldn't look up. "I don't think she…knows I like her. And…she's taken anyway."

"What? Oh, c'mon Donnie, what woman could resist your charm?"

"I have charm?" I looked up, surprised. I was met with another giggle. I blushed.

"See? Right there!"

"Oh, I dunno, April," I looked at the picture despondently.

"Well, if she's too dense to see what a nice guy you are, then she doesn't deserve you."

No, April, you're wrong. It is I who doesn't deserve her…

"I mean, I wish sometimes Casey were like you. Just once I'd wish something more…intelligent would come out of him!"

I smiled a bit.

And then it happened.

The good guy bit. Putting myself behind others. "I don't know, April, maybe you should just talk to him. He cares about you a lot…sometimes people just say things they don't mean." Or don't say the things they do mean, when they should…

April considered the advice.

Don't take it, don't take it…

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I do feel kinda silly, considering it was only a toaster."

"You guys are fighting…over a toaster?"

"Yeah…silly huh?" She gave a nervous laugh. She cleared her throat. "You're a good friend, Donnie."

I smiled at the compliment, but I couldn't have felt more dejected inside.

"Thanks, April."

Oh well, I thought, looking down at the picture. Maybe one day…all those daydreams will come true.

"Hey, you can keep this," I handed over the Polaroid. "I don't really want my brothers finding that."

She smirked and pocketed the photo. "No problem." She slung her arm over my shoulders as we continued down the sewers.

Yes.

Maybe someday.


End file.
